School Counseling Notebook

As I said in my last post, I am split between two elementary schools, so I have to be organized. This is the other binder that I carry in my backpack and have with me everyday no matter what school I'm at. It is blue, so I know all this stuff can be found in the blue binder! 

The cover can be found in my TPT store for FREE and is editable. :)

The very first page in my notebook is the ASCA model. 
After this are all my county wide documents: technology log ins and a password sheet, what to do if I lose my ID, and a list of phone numbers for the whole county. 







I have 8 tabs in this binder without a master list like in my lesson plan post. The first tab is for schedules.

Here I keep a list of kids that receive food from a local church donation each week and my classroom counseling schedules for both schools. I put a small post-it note at the back of each of my counseling schedules so they can be easily skipped.
Behind my schedules, I have all the schedules for both my schools: lunch, activities, school year event list, duty roster, etc. 












My second tab is for ethical codes and the ASCA National Standards. I have both ACA and ASCA code of ethics included. 

The third tab is special to my specific placement. In that state of Georgia, teachers are required to teach certain career lessons during the year from the Department of Education. I am in charge of making sure every student receives the lessons regardless of coming in later in the year or not, so this tab is used for that.
Next is my resources tab. I use my handy sheet protectors to keep the list of outside counselors in the area and who takes what type of insurance and Medicaid. I have learned so much about Medicaid and insurance in just a couple of months! I also keep some useful counselor tools in here, like my problem solving wheel:

I have an arrow put through with a brad, so kids can spin it to pick if they want. This is a clip art image that that can be found by searching "problem solving wheel." 
Lastly I have report samples in this tab: closing the gap results, small group results etc. that I can hopefully use to collect data this year or next year.


My fifth tab is my professional development and parent contact tab.  

I created my own parent contact document, which you can get for FREE here. As someone who doesn't have a set class, I need spaces for grades and teachers.










The sixth tab is also specific to my schools. It is my Exceptional Student Services (ESS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). I have the list of ESS teachers and contact information for the whole county as well as inclusion/co-teaching information form the county. PBIS is a county wide program we use, and it is fantastic. It is focused on early prevention of behavior problems. "The underlying theme is teaching behavioral expectations in the same manner as any core curriculum subject"_PBIS.org. Check out the website for more information, but we use this to teach appropriate behavior from the start, and it has dramatically reduced the number of office referrals in the county. 

Number 7 is my crisis plan. It is the one I wrote while in school, but it is a good reference if a crisis comes up. They don't happen very often, and an older plan is better than no plan. I hope to update this during the year to be adapted to the schools I now work in. 

My last tab is a miscellaneous tab. I keep overall needs assessment data for both schools combined here and some blank paper should I ever need to add anything anywhere else. 


Whew! That was a lot of info! I hope something in there was helpful. What works for you to organize your life as a school counselor? What special tabs do you use, or would you use if you used the binder method of organization? 

My cover and a notebook contents bundle can be found in the store on TPT. The notebook contents includes the free cover, binder cut outs for side view pockets in three sizes, counseling lesson documentation forms (more on this later!), a blank important info page, a password/log in page (a copy of the one I mentioned), meeting notes, professional development log, student referral form, and a 12 month calendar with NO dates or years, all in the same chevron print as the cover. While you have to fill in the calendar yourself, it can be used year after year. I use a good old fashioned planner, but I think I might use this if I were in just one school in the binder I leave at school (be on the lookout for that post coming soon!). 

ALL my items in my TPT store will be on sale 10-21-15 through 10-24-15! 10% off!